DEPARTMENT OF

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL
ENGINEERING
(21CET-620) Advanced Concrete Technology
(ME Structures)

Variability of Concrete strength

Concrete:-
 Materials used in concrete:-

 Cement

 Water

 Aggregates

 Admixture
 Causes of strength variability
Concrete is generally produced in in batches at the site.
Quantities of different materials added in concrete vary
from batch to batch.
Magnitude of variation depends on several factors.
Such as
1. Variation in the quality of the constituent materials.
2. Variation in mix proportions due to batching process.
 Causes of strength variability
cont…
3. Variation in the quality of batching and mixing
equipment available.
4. The quality of overall workmanship and supervision
at the site.
Other Factors Causing Variation are:-
 Other Factors Causing Variation
Concrete undergoes a number of operations such as
 Transportation
 Placing
 Compacting
 And curing
During these operations considerable variation
occurs partly due to quality of plant available and
partially due to difference in the efficency of the
of the technique used.
 Causes of strength variability
cont…
 So we can say that there is no unique attributes to
define the concrete in specific way.
 Under such situation the concrete is generally
referred as good, fair or poor quality.
 As a result it is necessary to define the quality in
terms of desired performance characteristics,
economics, aesthetics, safety and other factors.
 Due to large number of variables influencing the
performance of concrete, quality control becomes
very important task very important task .
 Causes of strength variability
cont…
 As concrete has to serve the dual needs of safety
(under ultimate loads) and serviceability (under
working loads) including durability.
 These needs vary from one situation and the type
of construction.
 Therefore the uniform standards valid for the
general application to all the works may not be
practical.
 Aim of Quality Control
 To reduce the above variations as mentioned
above and to produce a uniform material providing
the characteristics desirable for the job envisaged.
 Therefore the quality control is a corporate,
dynamic programme to assure that all the aspects
of the materials, equipment and workmanship are
well looked after.
 The tasks and goals in the area are properly set
and defined in the specifications and control
requirements.
 Aim of Quality Control cont…
 The specifications have to state clearly and
explicitly the steps and the requirements and
adherence to which would result in a construction
of an acceptable quality.
 Construction procedures should therefore be
specified.
 The probability based specifications containing
allowable tolerances on its attributes is more
rational and is preferred.
 Aim of Quality Control cont…
 Quality control is conformity to the specifications,
no more or less.
 The most practical method of effective quality
control is to check what is done in totality to
conform to the specifications. As the owner has no
right to expect anything more what is in the
specifications.
 The builder on the other hand knows that anything
less than what is in the specification will not be
acceptable to the owner.
 Quiz 2
1. Causes of variability of strength of concrete are due to

a) Variation in the quality of the constituent materials

b) Variation in the mix proportions due to batching
process
c) The quality of overall workmanship and supervision
d) All the above
 Quiz 3
1. Factors responsible for the variability of strength
of concrete
a) Transportation
b) Placing and compacting
c) Curing
d) None
e) All the above
 Quiz 4
1. A good quality concrete is generally referred as
a) Proper consistency
b) Easily workable
c) Free from segregation
d) None
e) All the above
 Quiz 5
1. Quality concrete is defined in terms of desired
performance characteristics,
a) Economics
b) Aesthetics
c) Safety
d) None
e) All the above
 Factors causing the variations in
the quality of concrete

The factors causing the variation in the concrete quality

are as follows.
1) Personnel factors.
2) Material, equipment and workmanship.
 Personnel factors
 The basic requirement for the success of quality
control plan is the availability of experienced,
knowledgeable and trained personnel at all levels.
 The designer and the specification writer should have
the knowledge of the construction operations as well.
 The site engineer should be able to comprehend the
specification stipulations.
 Every thing in quality control cannot be codified as
much depends on the attitude and orientation of the
people involved.
 Personnel factors cont…
 This means that the quality must be a discipline
imbibed in the mind and there should be strong
motivation to do everything in the first time.
 Material, Equipment and
Workmanship
 For the uniform quality of concrete, the ingredients
(particularly the cement) should preferably be used
from a single source.
 When ingredients from different source are used, the
strength and other characteristics of the materials are
likely to change and therefore they should only be used
after proper evaluation and testing.
 The same type of cement from different sources and at
different times from the same source exhibit variation
in the properties, especially in compressive strength.
 Material, Equipment and
Workmanship cont…
 The variation in the strength of the cement is related to
the composition of the raw material as well as the
variation in the manufacturing processes.
 The cement should be tested initially once from each
source of supply and subsequently, once every two
months.
 Set cement with hard lumps should be rejected.
 Material, Equipment and
Workmanship cont…
 Concrete strength is affected by many factors, such
as quality of raw materials, water/cement ratio,
coarse/fine aggregate ratio, age of concrete,
compaction of concrete, temperature, relative
humidity and curing of concrete.
 Weight batcher should be frequently checked for
their accuracy.
 Weight batching should be preferred to volumetric`
batching.
 Material, Equipment and
Workmanship cont…
 Mixer performance should be checked for
conformity to the requirements of the relevant
standards.
 Proper mixing should be done to achieve the uniform
mix proportion. Under mixing and over mixing
should be avoided.
 The vibrator used should be of required frequency
and amplitude of vibration.
 Material, Equipment and
Workmanship cont…
 The green concrete should be handled and transported
and placed in such a manner that it does not get
segregated.
 The time interval between mixing and placing the
concrete of minimum possible.
 Strength, durability and impermeability can be
achieved by proper compaction.
 Sufficient time for curing should be given to the
casted concrete which depends upon the shape, size
of the member and the ambient temperature.
Variability of Portland cement
• "Are all nominally similar cements the
same?“

• "Does cement from the same source (same

cement works, same kiln) always behave
consistently?"
 Variability of Portland cement
cont…
• Raw materials are dug from the ground and are
intrinsically variable - limestone from one end
of the quarry might well contain more clay or
silica than limestone from the other end for
example.

Fuels are variable - coal varies in ash and sulfur

contents and these days, a works may also burn
ancillary fuels such as solvents or car tyres.
 Variability of Portland cement
cont…
• Variation in raw materials and fuels are likely
to result in changes in kiln conditions and
consequently, to some extent at least, to
changes in the cement.

• Some changes may be for the better, but

unless they are maintained consistently, the
result will be variability in the product.
 Variability of Portland cement
• Cement is normally more consistent and of a
higher quality by more rigorous testing of the
final product, by online analysis of raw
materials and clinker and by improved
monitoring of kilns, mills etc.

• All this has been made possible by the

advances in computer technology in recent
years.
 Quality of Raw Materials
• Cement: Provided the cement conforms with the
appropriate standard and it has been stored correctly
(i.e. in dry conditions), it should be suitable for use
in concrete.
• Aggregates: Quality of aggregates, its size, shape,
texture, strength etc determines the strength of
concrete. The presence of salts (chlorides and
sulphates), silt and clay also reduces the strength of
concrete.
 Quality of Raw Materials
cont…
• Water: frequently the quality of the water is covered
by a clause stating “..the water should be fit for
drinking..”. This criterion though is not absolute and
reference should be made to respective codes for
testing of water construction purpose
• Sulphates and chlorides in water should not exceed
the permissible limit.
 How cement affecting the
of strength variability
 changes in cement particle size. ...
 The fineness to which the cement is ground will
evidently affect the rate at which concrete
strengths increase after mixing.
 Grinding the cement more finely will result in a more
rapid increase in strength.
 Quiz 1
1. The factors causing the variation in the concrete
quality are.
1) Personnel factors
2) Material
3) equipment
4) Workmanship
5) All the above
 Quiz 2
1. The ingredients of concrete responsible for
variation in the strength of concrete are .
1) Source of cement
2) Quality of water used in concrete
3) Source of aggregates
4) 1, 2, 3 mentioned above
5) None
 Quiz 3
 Concrete strength is affected by many factors,
such as quality of
1. Raw materials
2. Water/cement ratio
3. Coarse/fine aggregate ratio
4. Age of concrete, compaction of concrete,
temperature, relative humidity and curing of
concrete.
5. All the above
Coarse / Fine aggregate ratio
fines is increased
surface area will increase.
water demand will also increase.
water cement ratio will increase.

Since the water cement ratio has

increased, the compressive strength
will decrease.
 Other Factors Causing Variation
 Grading, maximum size, shape and moisture content of
the aggregates are the major source of variability.
 Aggregates should be separately stock piled in single
size.
 The graded aggregates should not be allowed to
segregate.
 General points to be kept in mind
during grading.
 Long continuous grading is preferred with minimum
material passing through 300micron and 150 micron
sieves.
 For fine grading the grading on the coarser end of the
range are more suitable for the rich mixes and those at
the fine end of the range are suitable for lean mixes.
 Coarser aggregates consistent with the size of the
member and spacing of the reinforcement is more
suitable.
 General points to be kept in mind
during grading.
 The aggregate size should be so selected that one size
fits into the voids left in the higher size.
 The aggregate should be free from impurities and
deleterious materials, since for every one percent of
clay in sand, there could be as much as 5% reduction
in in the strength of concrete.
 The moisture content of the aggregates should be
taken into account while arriving at the quantity of
mixing water.
 General points to be kept in mind
during grading.
 Bulking of sand is important factor which must be
considered as it may give erroneous results increase in
the workability of concrete as a result reduces the
strength of concrete.
 The aggregates are required to be tested once initially
for the approval for each source of supply.

 The test for grading and moisture content should be

done daily to maintain the uniform quality of
concrete.
 Water / Cement Ratio
• The relation between water cement ratio and strength
of concrete is shown in the plot as shown below:

• The higher the water/cement ratio, the greater the

initial spacing between the cement grains and the
greater the volume of residual voids not filled by
hydration products.
 Water / Cement Ratio cont…
• There is one thing missing on the graph. For a given
cement content, the workability of the concrete is
reduced if the water/cement ratio is reduced. A lower
water cement ratio means less water, or more cement
and lower workability.
• However if the workability becomes too low the
concrete becomes difficult to compact and the
strength reduces. For a given set of materials and
environment conditions, the strength at any age
depends only on the water-cement ratio, providing
full compaction can be achieved.
 Aggregate / Cement Ratio
cont…
• Following points must be noted for aggregate cement
ratio:
 Aggregate / Cement Ratio
cont…
• In fig 1 For a given workability an increase in the
proportion of cement in a mix has little effect on the
water demand and results in a reduction in the
water/cement ratio.
• In Fig2 The reduction in water/cement ratio leads to an
increase in strength of concrete.
• In Fig 3, for a given workability an increase in the
cement content results in an increase in strength of
concrete.
• If the water cement ratio reduces, the strength of the
concrete will increase.
 Age of concrete
• The degree of hydration is synonymous with the age
of concrete provided the concrete has not been
allowed to dry out or the temperature is too low.

• In theory, provided the concrete is not allowed to dry

out, then it will always be increasing albeit at an ever
reducing rate. For convenience and for most practical
applications, it is generally accepted that the majority
of the strength has been achieved by 28 days.
 Age of concrete
• With an increase in age, the degree of hydration
generally increases increasing the gel/space ratio so
that strength increases
• Increase in the strength of concrete (at same w/c
ratio) with increase in early age (from 1 to 28 days)
of concrete.
 Age of concrete
• The compressive strength of concrete is affected with
its age
• With time, the concrete strength is increased;
 Compaction of concrete
• Entrapped air result from inadequate compaction of
the plastic concrete and lead to a reduction in
strength.

• If there was 10% trapped air in the concrete, the

strength will fall down in the range of 30 to 40%.
 Temperature
• If the temperature increases reaction also increases.

• Concrete will gain strength more quickly than a

similar concrete kept at a lower temperature.

• However, the final strength of the concrete kept at

the higher temperature will be lower.
As the physical form of the hardened cement paste is
not well structured and is more porous when
hydration proceeds at faster rate.
 Temperature cont…
• This is an important point to remember because
temperature has a similar but more pronounced
detrimental effect on permeability of the concrete.
 Relative humidity
• If the concrete is allowed to dry out, the hydration
reaction will stop. The hydration reaction cannot
proceed without moisture. The three curves shows
the strength development of similar concretes
exposed to different conditions.
 Curing
• Curing of Concrete is a method by which
the concrete is protected against loss of moisture
required for hydration and kept within the
recommended temperature range.
• Curing will increase the strength and decrease the
permeability of hardened concrete.
• The strength of cured concrete is much higher
compared to concrete which is not cured properly.
 Curing
• After concrete is placed, the concrete increases in
strength very quickly for a period of 3-7 days.
Concrete which is moist cured for 7 days is about
50% stronger than uncured concrete.
 Quiz
1. At high temperature the concrete gains quick
early strength.
a) Yes
b) No
2. Higher w/c ratio increases the workability of
a) Increases the workability of concrete
b) Decreases the strength of concrete.
c) All the above.
 Assignment :-

 What are the factors responsible for the variability of

concrete mix.

What quality control measures as a site engineer you

will take to achieve a durable structure.
Reference
Books

Concrete Technology (R. P. Rethaliya)

Concrete Technology (M. S. Shetty)

Web Sites
www.concretenetwork.com
www.constructionlearning.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WZ
bX8hTe_s
THANK YOU

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